Walking In Darkness
by Gre3nleaf
Summary: A harmless question which Legolas asks as an elfling is brought up again at a time both he and his father need it the most.
1. How Much Do You Love Me?

**Walking In Darkness**

 **Here's a story that I was intending to keep cute and fluffy… but then that annoying person in my head came out of hiding and told me to make it sad… sorry.**

 **Legolas is the equivalent of a six-year old human in the first part of this, and an adult in the second.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

"Ada, how much do you love me?"

Thranduil turned from where he was drawing the curtains in his son's room and rose an eyebrow. "Very much, Legolas. Why do you ask?" he said as he walked over to the bed where the little prince was laying half-submerged under the blankets. He pulled back the chair he had just been sat on while reading a story to his son and sat down, looking expectantly at the little blond.

Legolas ignored his father's question and pushed back the covers, sitting up and staring intently at the elvenking with a small frown on his little face. "Yes, Ada, but _how_ much?"

Thranduil smiled. "Do you see those stars out there?" he asked softly, turning and pointing to the open door leading out onto the balcony.

Legolas nodded.

"Count them," his father said, and the little prince's eyes widened.

"I can't, Ada! There are so many of them, it's imp-imposs-"

"Impossible?"

"Yes, it is impossible!"

"Well. So is explaining how much I love you."

Legolas smiled widely. "Do you love me as much as I love honey cakes?"

" _Much_ more than you love honey cakes little leaf."

"Do you love me as much as I love jumping in muddy puddles?"

" _Much_ more than you love jumping in muddly puddles," Thranduil said with a smile as he gently pushed his son back down again and pulled the blankets up to his chin, his thumb gently stroking the elfling's soft cheek.

"Do you love me as much as I love bedtime stories?"

" _Much_ more than you love bedtime stories."

A yawn interrupted Legolas before he could even begin his next sentence, and he tiredly moved onto his side and stared up at his father with big blue eyes. "Ada, I love honey cakes, muddy puddles and bedtime stories a _lot,"_ he said thoughtfully.

Thranduil smiled, leaning down and placing his forehead against the prince's.

"And I love _you_ a lot, Las. You are precious to me beyond measure, and I love you more than anyone on this earth. You are my stars, my world, my universe, and I would give my life for you."

Legolas smiled faintly before his eyes slowly glassed over and he was lost in elven dreams about honey cakes, muddy puddles and bedtime stories. Thranduil smiled softly as he bent over and kissed him, his heart bursting with so much love for his elfling as he left the room.

* * *

"Ada, how much do you love me?"

Thranduil's tears tasted salty on his dry lips as his head turned, puffy eyes locking onto the exhausted ones of his son. The prince was laying in a bed in the healing rooms of Imladris, bloody bandages covering his entire broken body. His chest was heaving, raspy breaths escaping his lips as he attempted to breathe normally, and whether the elvenking wanted to admit it or not… he was dying.

It was going to be just like any other patrol, Thranduil had thought as he hugged his son goodbye three weeks prior. What he hadn't expected was to see Mirkwood warriors riding through the gates of the Woodland Realm two weeks early, carrying their unconscious and blood-covered prince.

Thranduil had been told of the damage done to his son by the malevolent beasts that were orcs, and he had immediately made the decision to take him to Rivendell, where Lord Elrond would hopefully have a better chance of saving him.

But now he had been told that there may be no hope.

His son was dying.

"Very much, Legolas," came the king's hoarse voice as he took the younger elf's hands in his and squeezed them tightly.

Legolas smiled. "But how much?"

Thranduil felt the tears fall from his eyes again, not having the strength to stop them. "Do you see those stars?" he asked, voice quiet as he moved slightly so that his son was able to see the bright lights in the night sky behind them through the window.

Legolas nodded, his own eyes becoming watery as he looked back at his father.

"Count them."

"Impossible."

"So is explaining how much I love you," the elvenking cried.

Legolas released a shaky breath but squeezed his father's hand and looked into his eyes, the pain reflecting off them like a mirror. It was heart-breaking to see the usually strong and mighty elf king let his guard down and cry so openly.

"Do you love me as much as I love riding in the forest?" he asked, wincing as a sharp pain shot through his side.

" _Much_ more."

"Do you love me as much as I love training with the twins?"

" _Much_ more."

"Do you-" Legolas paused as he broke into a coughing fit, lurching into an upright position and practically screaming as his burning organs protested with the movement and his stitches ripped in more than one place.

Thranduil immediately jumped out of his seat, his face a panicked mess as he held his son in his arms and whispered in his ear. "Shush, shush Las, everything will be okay, do you hear me? Shush now."

Legolas squeezed his eyes shut and took in a deep breath before pulling back slowly and looking up at his father, tears streaming down his face like a gushing waterfall. "Do you love me more than I love you?" he whispered raspily, and before his father got a chance to speak he continued. "Because you are precious to me beyond measure, and I love you more than anyone on this earth. You are my stars, my world, my universe, and I w-would-"

"Legolas?" Thranduil asked as the prince fell forward and his eyes drooped. "Legolas, please… Legolas, stay with me my little leaf, stay with me."

Legolas' eyes opened slightly and he looked up at the terrified face of his father, a smile appearing on his lips. "I would give my life for you."

The sound of the elvenking's anguished cries filled the Last Homely House, and everyone, every elf lord, every maid, every cook, every animal, stopped and shared a look with each other.

He was gone.

* * *

 **Tissues? Tissues, anyone? Yes, you? Here, take the whole box.**

 **Okay so… I don't know what to say.**

 **If it makes you feel any better, I didn't specifically say he died, so lets just imagine Elrond runs into the room with a determined look on his face and performs emergency CPR and our prince is alive again.**

 **There. Better?**

… **no?**

 **Oh.**


	2. More Than Anything In This World

**HA! You really thought I'd just sit there and let my Legolas die? I'll have those tissues back now thank you very much.**

 **(I changed the name to this story, in case any of you were wondering. It used to be 'How Much Do You Love Me?" Enjoy!**

* * *

Darkness.

That was all Legolas could see.

He felt as though he was walking through a black corridor, no lights in sight. Blinking, he tried to make out what was in front of him, but could see nothing. He felt the wall next to him and slowly began walking forward.

Even though the black emptiness around him and the eery silence was strange, Legolas felt almost… happy. He was no longer in pain.

Suddenly, a huge white light lit up the path ahead of him, and he paused, putting his hands up to shield his eyes from it. He could hear somebody calling his name, almost like a whisper, but it felt welcoming, and he found his feet moving forward towards it.

The prince almost stepped into the light, before his ears picked up the sound of someone else calling his name. This voice sounded familiar, and he paused in his walking and turned, noticing a door built into the black wall beside him. Glancing back at the light, Legolas opened the door and stepped inside.

The room he walked into looked similar to a place he had once known. He stood by the door, a confused expression on his face, before suddenly something flew past him – more like _through_ him – and jumped onto the bed in the room, grabbing hold of the stuffed bear sat on the pillow, a huge toothy grin on his face.

A bigger version of this figure followed after him, his own smile on his fair features as he immediately walked over to the bookshelf in the corner of the room. "What will it be today, little leaf?"

 _Little leaf._

" _Come back to me, little leaf, please!"_

Legolas felt a pain in his head and his hand flew up to his temple, his eyes squeezing shut as he suddenly realized where he was, and who he was looking at.

This was him, and his father, when he had been an elfling. This memory was one of his strongest and most precious, and he remembered it as if it had happened only yesterday.

"The one about the dog and the cat and the mouse!" little Legolas replied, and he bounced eagerly on his bed as Thranduil took a book off the shelf and walked over to his son, sitting in the chair beside the bed and beginning to read.

"There once was a dog…"

" _Please, Legolas, I cannot lose you…"_

There was that pain again.

"-and a cat-"

" _Elrond, save him, I beg you!"_

"-and a mouse-"

" _Come back to me Legolas. Come back to your Ada."_

The pain in his head intensified and Legolas felt like screaming, but suddenly it stopped, and he stood straight and tall, staring ahead of him. Little Legolas was buried under the covers, hugging his stuffed bear, and his father was reading the story to him. It was such a precious moment, and the prince felt tears sting his eyes.

He could not leave his father.

Not now.

Not ever.

He had to go back.

Turning, Legolas bolted out of the door. The bright light was still there, calling his name, but he no longer felt the pull of it like before. He no longer wanted to go into the light. He wanted to go _back._

"Please!" he shouted at the light, his voice sounding hoarse as if he hadn't spoken for days, "I want to go back! How do I go back?"

The light didn't answer, but it slowly started to fade.

"Please!" Legolas cried, tears falling from his blue eyes. "I can't stay here… I need- I need to get back to my father… please…"

He broke down, falling to his knees and crying his dying heart out.

 _His heart._

Legolas wasn't dead yet, but he was dying, and he knew that his heart would not hold out for much longer. He didn't have enough time to sit and cry. He needed to _think_.

Standing up and consoling himself, the prince turned and ran back into the room. Thranduil had finished the story and was leaning down to gently kiss his son on the forehead. "I love you Las. Sweet dreams," he said, before placing the book on the little prince's bedside table and standing up, walking quietly out of the room.

 _Dream._

Of course.

This wasn't real.

The scene that had played out in front of him had happened hundreds of years ago, when he had been a small elfling. It was a memory. And Legolas was living in it.

He was in his head.

And he had to get out.

Cautiously, he walked over to where Thranduil had been and sat on the chair, looking at the sleeping form of his smaller self. Slowly, he closed his eyes and grasped his hands together.

"I love you, Ada," he said to himself. "I want to come back. I want to see you again. I love you Ada, so much. I love you Ada. More than anything in this world. You are precious to me beyond measure and I would give my life for you."

Suddenly, another light lit up the room, and Legolas' eyes flew open. The light disappeared, and in its place it left a door. Legolas stood up and immediately made his way over to it. He glanced back at the little prince, still sleeping soundly in his bed, and without hesitation opened the door and walked out.

* * *

Pain.

That was the first thing Legolas remembered as his eyes flew open and he broke into a coughing fit.

"Legolas!"

The prince felt terrible, but he moved his head all the same, ignoring the pounding, and looked into the eyes of his father. He was still held in his arms, and Elrond was stood next to him, holding a bowl of herbs and wearing quite a shocked expression on his face.

"Ada," the prince breathed, and a smile appeared on his face. He leaned forward into his father's chest and cried, the elvenking bowing his head and holding onto his son with all he had in him as he, too, sobbed.

"Legolas?" Elrond asked, looking at the prince with concern lacing his eyes. "You need to sit back so I can re-stitch your wounds. They are bleeding heavily and if they do not get closed up soon then you will die… again."

Legolas obeyed and, with help from his father, lay back on the bed. He still felt terrible, but at least he wasn't dead.

"Legolas, what happened?" Thranduil asked suddenly, his voice raspy from the amount of crying he had done.

"What do you mean?" the prince asked, wincing as Elrond pierced his skin with the needle and began stitching, more healers gathering around them to attend to his other wounds and injuries.

"Your aura…" Elrond started, "you were dead, Legolas. Well, as good as. But suddenly your aura flared. A huge bright light emanated from you and then you opened your eyes."

Legolas smiled. "I must confess, I was ready to go. I was happy to be free of the pain… but then I stumbled upon something, and it made me realise that I am not ready to die yet. I have family and friends, and I could not leave them behind. And so I came back."

Elrond understood, though he was fairly surprised. He had heard of the Gods giving elves they thought too young to die the choice of staying or leaving with them, and it seemed as though they weren't ready for the Prince of Mirkwood just yet.

Elrond and his healers finished with Legolas and left once making sure that he was definitely alright.

"I thought of you Ada," the blond said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Thranduil asked, his blue eyes shining with such happiness.

"That is what helped me come back… thinking of you. I could not leave you just yet."

The elvenking smiled. "No, you cannot. Which is why I am banning you from ever leaving Mirkwood again."

The prince let out a laugh, flinching as his aching body protested. "That is fine with me," he said.

"I love you, Legolas."

"How much?"

"More than anything in this world."

Legolas smiled. "I am afraid you are wrong there," he said, "for you will never love me as much as I love you."

* * *

 **Oh, you want the tissues back? Sorry, I used them all up writing this chapter.**

 **Hope this makes you all a bit happier! Thank you for reading, and please review to tell me what you think :D ~ Gre3nleaf**


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